My edits typically come with an editorial letter and also
the manuscript with track changes. I print the editorial letter out and read
through it, making notes as I go. Then I start on page 1 of the manuscript and
go through every track change and comment. As I do this, I tackle not only the
tracks but also weave in the solutions to the points made in the editorial
letter. When I’ve reached the last page of the manuscript, I start over and
read again (this time out loud). This gives me a chance to tweak anything I may
not have addressed from the editorial letter. After that it’s ready and off to
my editor!

I start with a reverse outline, which means that I write
down what actually happened on the page, versus what I wanted to or
needed to have happen. I put these on notecards (color coded for different
character’s POV since I almost always have more than one POV in my books) and
look for gaps in the narrative.

Once I’ve identified the gaps, then I’ll go back and fix
those first. After rewrites, and sometimes re-reverse outlining to make sure
there aren’t new gaps, I go through and do passes for specific issues.

These vary depending on the manuscript’s weaknesses, but
I usually do passes for dialogue, setting, distinct character voices, tension,
and stakes. For this stage, I like to write the issues onto post it notes and
keep them on a large piece of blank paper next to me. As I fix an issue (for
instance, “Weave in Zed’s St. Anthony’s necklace and importance”), I’ll pull
the post off the paper and throw it out. It’s extremely satisfying to do this
and helps keep the momentum up!

Kathryn Ormsbee (also writes as K. E. Ormsbee), author of
THE WATER & THE WILD

I use the writing software Scrivener to divide my
manuscript into manageable sections, highlight problems, and add notes about
scenes and storylines. I also spend time with a folder I call "the
graveyard”—home to scraps of writing I’ve removed from the work that need to be
either revived and reworked into the story or buried forevermore. When I’m
through revising a chapter, I celebrate by ticking the corresponding “revised
draft” box. (Yes, I was a kid who derived inordinate satisfaction from
achievement stickers.) I’m a very visual person, but one of my most helpful
revision stages is sitting down and reading the entire manuscript out loud. If
I simply read over the manuscript, my brain falls into a habit of skimming. But
when I say the manuscript, I catch problems like repetitiveness and
awkward syntax. This stage is especially helpful for polishing dialogue. Some
lines might look good on paper but don’t ring true when they’re coming out of
my mouth.

Tackling edits is my favourite part of the writing
process. The first draft is quite an isolated adventure; it's you sitting alone
at a computer, day after day, putting one word after another until the final
page. But as soon as the manuscript flies off to your editor's desk, you
get someone on your team who believes in your story and wants it to be as good
as possible. While the first draft, for me, is a splurge of consciousness that
I figure out on the fly, the edits are where that lump of clay gets shaped into
a book.

After reading through my editor's notes, the first thing
I do is set them aside and let all the thoughts stew for a day. I don't write,
don't change anything, just let everything they've said bump around in my mind.
The next day, I read through them again, and this time I write the key points
down in my own words. By now, they've often triggered new ideas and thoughts of
my own, and I note these down too. Then I read back through the manuscript,
using index cards to write up a timeline of what happens and when.

This gives me a fresh idea of the shape of the story: if
I need to cut something, I can see where it is. If I need to add something,
it's obvious where to put it. It also creates a visual picture of the plot
threads so I can be sure that they come together where I want them and can be
tied up nicely by the end. Once I've decided what changes to make, I turn the
list of edits into a to-do list, ticking each one off as I go. It's a very
satisfying process, because you know that each step brings you closer to a
proper, finished book!

Every time I see the Subject: Edits line in my email, I
react the same way. I ignore it. Chances are good that I’m in the middle of a
hundred things and I like to wait until I can give the edits my undivided
attention. When all is quiet, I open the document and read through them quickly
just to get an idea of how difficult this round is going to be. I make note of
the more extensive things I need to think about, then I go through the
manuscript making all of the easy edits, like deleting words and saying OK to
changes.

For the larger edit dilemmas, I take my time mulling it
over. I work a lot on my laptop, but for edits, I use my desktop with its large
monitor. I like to open the old file to have it for immediate reference as I
make changes. If I’m not 100% happy with the change, I highlight it in the text
to come back are reread after sleeping on it. Before hitting save, I read
the different versions to my favorite reader (my husband) to get his feedback.
Occasionally, I’ll even write two different versions of a particular sentence
and let my editor decide.

There are two kinds of edits: Substantive edits and copy
edits. Copy edits are easy – spelling, grammar, and details (for example, if a
character has blue eyes on page 4, he should probably still have blue eyes on
page 304). But substantive edits can be scary – in my experience, there’s a
whole lot of red, strikethroughs, and comments. To avoid becoming overwhelmed,
I break those edits into a schedule.

Day 1: I ignore all the red strikethroughs and suggested
changes, and get right to the comments. I need to see what the editor thought
of the overall story. My editor writes notes such as, “I like this, but wrong
place. Move to another scene” or, “This scene does nothing to further their
plight/plot/story. Cut it from MS.” The comments can also be lovely, which
helps me to think that maybe things aren’t as bad as they look at first glance
(did I mention there’s a whole lot of red?).

Day 2: I save a copy and accept all the changes, then I
turn the doc into a PDF and read the manuscript (on my e-reader) all the way
through. I can see where the suggested changes work, and where they don’t. I
let that settle in for a couple of days and try to breathe normally.

Day 5 – 20: I go back to the original copy and begin to
make changes within the red marks. I’ve let the suggested changes percolate
long enough, I am back in the story mindset (which can be tough to do if it’s
been awhile since I last picked up that MS), and I’m ready to DO ALL THE
THINGS. If a passage is particularly sticky or complicated, I’ll change the
font color to something bright. If I know the edits I’m making impact the story
later in the book, I highlight the text to cross-check later.

Day 21: I print the whole thing out…in color. This way, I
can see at-a-glance what needs another review, what needs to be cross-checked,
and what I need to talk to my editor and agent about (as my books are part of
an overall series, I have to watch the finer points of my dialogue and dropped
hints).

Days 22-25: Make my final edits. Also, I take a moment to
reflect how lucky I am to have an agent and an editor who can read my story
from both my and the reader’s points of view, and they’re just plain nice about
my mistakes word choices.

Day 25: Send to Victoria for feedback. Drink a large
glass of wine. Pretend like nothing big happened except, you know, CHANGING
HUGE PLOT POINTS.

Day 30: After Victoria sends her thoughts to me, I read
the whole MS once more. If I fell in love with my hero again, if my heart hurt
when things weren’t looking so good, and if the heady rush of happy-ever-after
leaves me with a smile on my face…Edits complete. Send to editor.